Singapore’s bunkering sector has benefited much from the use of technology and will continue to further invest in digitalisation, says the Senior Director (Operations & Marine Services) at the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).
Captain Daknash Ganasen was in an interview with Singapore bunkering publication Manifold Times when he shared the adoption of mass flowmeter (MFM) technology for bunkering has tremendously benefited the local marine refuelling sector.
“According to a study by the Standards Development Organisation @ Singapore Chemical Industry Council Ltd (SDO@SCIC), the implementation of MFM at the Port of Singapore has the potential to save the industry SGD 80 million and SGD 199 million a year,” he said.
“These savings respectively stem from a reduction in the number of disputes and the time taken to resolve the disputes that still arise. There are also cost savings from bunkering operations.”
Captain Daknash also notes Singapore bunker suppliers have observed enhanced bunker schedule management since the implementation of MFMs for bunkering due to faster and more predictable turnaround in marine refuelling transactions.
Additionally, shipowners reflected that inventory management has improved given the increased certainty in the quantity of bunker received.
“Overall, MPA’s implementation of MFM has enhanced transparency in the bunker supply chain, thereby increasing the preference of shipowners to purchase bunker in Singapore,” he states.
Moving forward, Captain Daknash says the MPA has recently launched a digitalisation plan for the bunkering sector in an effort to further raise productivity and enhance confidence in Singapore’s bunkering industry for shipowners.
“This includes the development of digitalBunker@SG, which is a secure system for bunker companies to automate data submission for regulatory reporting purposes. When implemented, the system is expected to save 1,400 man-days annually for the bunkering sector,” he notes.
“Additionally, MPA’s digitalisation plan for the bunkering sector also initiated a call-for-proposal to partner the industry on projects to digitalise documentation such as bunker delivery notes, and the processes of bunker purchase and delivery.
“An end-to-end and highly digitalised workflow across multiple stakeholders including customers and financial institutions will improve the efficiency and transparency of the bunker supply chain. It will also enhance productivity and reduce human error associated with paper-based documentation used for invoicing and payments.”
